That, Which Binds
by PoisonRogue
Summary: It has been three years since they parted ways on Blood Moon Bayou and now Gambit has returned, seeking Rogue's help on a mission that will bring them back togther. This is a 'sort of' continuation to my one-shot "That One Thing". PS: ROMY!Chapter 6 up!
1. Chapter I

**_That, Which Binds_**

New York state was always cold at this time of year. Snow still sat molded against the edge of the roads and scraped messily across the sidewalks, now gray and littered with leaves and mud having been frozen solid for weeks, without even a sparkle or glisten from the street lights in the premature winter darkness - to resemble the once feather-light flakes that fell from the sky.

The young woman stepped over such a formation quickly and pulled her covered arms tighter around her chest in a bid to keep out the sharp chill of winter, her shoulders shuddering almost violently as another gust of frozen air blew her strange two-tone brown and snow white locks around her face, whipping harshly against her pale skin.

Rogue quickened her pace along the deserted street, wishing she had the sense to have put on a hat this morning. Or even better, she wished she could drive into New York city rather than have to catch the train there everyday. Of course Logan had offered to give her a ride home, but being as she was - Rogue politely declined, in favor of suffering the twenty minute walk to and from the large mansion in the small town of Bayville, New York which she called home.

To any other person it would have made sense to take the plunge and just move to the city and enjoy student life as it should be – house parties and having fun. For her family and friends, there would have been no question as to why they shouldn't – for Rogue, there was the small matter of her not being able to touch another person's skin without stealing they're very souls – her mutant ability, her gift as her mentor Professor Charles Xavier liked to call it.

But this 'gift' or 'curse', depending on your outlook on life – ruled Rogue, it made the decisions for her – and so, living in one of the busiest and most populated cities in the world was not an option for her.

When it came down to it, Rogue wanted to be able to get away when the psyches in her head became too much to bear – after all, the people living at Xavier's School were mutants like herself and knew when to keep they're distance, unlike the general public outside that little world.

Just one brush of her skin against someone else's, even for the smallest fraction of a second would be enough to transfer that persons thoughts and memories into her mind. It was not a painless experience, else Rogue herself would be more welcoming to it perhaps – no, it hurt – a lot.

She could see the big iron gates ahead of her that signified she was almost at her destination, the metal plated plaque mounted against the red brick on either side of the gate naming the exquisite building beyond – reflected the light from the street lamps brightly in the darkness.

Rogue walked swiftly to the sheltered number pad and tapped in the code that would open the gates. "Access Denied" An accent-less womans voice blurted at her from the high tech machine. Her brow twisted in confusion and once the machine had reset itself, she tried once more – tapping in each number precisely.

"Access Denied" The voice blurted once again. Rogue huffed in annoyance and pressed the intercom button on the pad.

"Hello?" She recognized the voice immediately, to that of Jean Grey. As teenagers they had been polar opposites of each other, Jean being popular and outgoing whilst Rogue was not. They had since, over the years come to a mutual understanding, which in many ways made life easier for both even though the two women knew they would never be 'close' friends.

"Jean? It's me Rogue – could ya let me in, ah've forgotten the code again" She spoke as clearly as she could, trying not to let her teeth chatter in the cold and ignored the whirring sound of the security camera above her as it focused on her face.

"Yeah, sure" Jean replied helpfully, with the low hum of the electronic gated opening slowly beside her.

"Thanks" She acknowledged the person beyond the intercom and hurried through the open gateway, following the smoothness of the long curved road toward the welcoming glow of the porch.

Pushing the stiff, heavy wooden door, she allowed the heat from inside to wash over her in relief from the bitter cold outside and after a second or so closed it behind her- wiping her boots on the welcome mat and wandered casually up the grand staircase.

She could hear the television coming from the recreation room beyond, which would explain why the house was so unusually quiet – the kids were probably watching a movie that was keeping them entertained for a while, inadvertently allowing her to slip unnoticed through the house and into her room.

Since her old roommate Kitty had left a couple of years ago to attend a college in her native Illinois, she had been upgraded – so to speak, to her own private room and Rogue was very grateful to Professor Xavier for the kind gesture. But, although she would never admit it out loud – she did miss Kitty sometimes, even though they kept in touch and Kitty never stayed away long from the institute, always bestowing herself upon the place during the seasonal breaks from school. Still, the place wasn't the same without her.

But Rogue knew that this would also be her last year living at the school. This was her final year after all and she intended on moving out, getting a job and living life like everybody else and not forgetting to pay back every penny that Xavier had spent out for her education.

Of course, Rogue had no money – no parents or financial support behind her to fund her Columbia course fee's and so Xavier had kindly offered to pay them for her, even though he had said that he did not require the money to be returned – Rogue had insisted that upon graduation, she would repay all of it.

But Xavier was not so kind as not to expect anything. In return he required her to do some part time teaching to the students at the institution, even though Rogue knew that she was not well suited to the part of an educator – she highly suspected that the professor was using her as some kind of role model for the young mutants who like her, were unable to control they're abilities.

It was not something she particularly enjoyed, although her brother, Kurt thought the world of her for doing it.

Walking into pitch black, she closed the door softly behind her and felt around for the table lamp she knew was there. Finally finding it, she turned it on – the soft bulb putting the room in a dim light, casting more shadows than anything.

Rogue sighed contently. Letting the heavy brown leather satchel that she had been carrying drop to the floor and slipping off her gloves and finally her thick woolen coat, she allowed herself to collapse back onto the large, freshly made bed in the center of her room. She shivered with the loss of layers. The cold must have gotten to her more than she thought.

The solution of course was to take a hot shower, warm the blood up. Heaving herself from the comfort of the soft mattress was no easy task, but doing so she stumbled over to the wide set glass doors that led out onto a half circle balcony beyond and noticed that one of the doors was ever so slightly ajar.

Frowning somewhat in confusion, she opened the offending door quickly and then tugged it back tightly, making sure that it was properly closed – of course, nothing prepared her for when glancing a reflection in the glass, she saw a tall lean figure standing behind her and in utter shock she twisted around, almost tripping on the long curtains that framed the doors and she grabbed them with one hand to hold herself up.

"Shit!Oh Mah Gahd!" Was her first reaction when she instantly recognized the intruder in her room. The long, weathered tan trench coat, messy auburn hair and red on black eyes gave him away instantly. Gambit.

"Develop'd a li'l bit o' a potty mouth dere, non?" He chuckled, both at her unanticipated reaction and choice of words.

"What the hell are you doin' heah?" Rogue cried out in a strangled stupor, pulling herself up into a steadier position and watching him suspiciously. He hadn't changed much, other than his hair being longer and having exchanged the previously favored goatee for an all around five o'clock shadow – time had not aged him visibly.

"Well, dat's not very invitin' is it?" He chastised playfully.

"How on earth did ya get past ground security?" She asked instead, X-man instinct kicking in finally. He shrugged nonchalantly and smirked back at her, leaning casually against the wall closest to him and folding his arms across his chest.

"What's up Rogue? Y' don't seem very pleas'd t' see me?" The smirk stayed resolutely on his lips, keeping his eyes focused on the deep green of hers.

"Should ah be pleased ta see you?" Rogue demanded in astonishment, taking a step toward him warily.

"Well, aft'r our last meetin' . . . ." He let the statement hang, watching her already confused face mull over new theories. He enjoyed getting this reaction out of her.

"Three year's ago! And it was against mah will, remembah?" Her voice was calmer now, but non-the less incredulous at his audacity.

"Still sore about dat huh?" He made it sound like it was no big deal that he had abducted her years before hand and yet, it still stung inside just a little to hear her refer to it like that. Rogue pursed her lips and stayed silent for a few seconds before putting one hand on her hip.

". . . . What do you think?" She answered rhetorically, raising an eyebrow at his apparent ignorance. He watched her silently, the customary smirk unmoved .

"I'm thinkin' dat y' seem differen'" He concurred.

"Yeah, well things . . people change" Was her reply. A cover for that unexpected comment from the master thief.

"Hmmm . . . So I can see . . ." He let his eyes take in her appearance – she had changed. Her hair was longer, the dark black make-up of her teenage years was gone, although her skin was still deathly pale. But the real difference was in her behavior and body language. There was a slight openness, a silent confidence, a contentedness - something that was surely not there before, or had at least not been evident.

"Ugh! This is a school foh mutants, not a whore house Gambit!" Rogue let the disgust show, turning her head away from him to look at the wall. He made her uncomfortable looking at her like that.

"An' here I was thinkin' we were on firs' name basis?" Underneath the facade, Remy was disappointed that she had called him by his codename. He hadn't known what reaction to really expect from her when he decided to pay her a visit, but did he really expect anything else?

"What do ya want?" Rogue ignored his comment, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously once more.

"Do you still have my card?" He asked instead. He wanted a reaction from her.

"What? No, ah don't still have yoah card" She replied hastily. Too hastily. Of course she still had the stupid card - as dog-eared as it was – stored away in a tin full of little pieces of things that meant something to her, things that reminded her of who she was when things got tough.

"Hmmm" He mused.

They stayed silent for a minute or so, staring each other down like two alley cats trying to work out whether their opponent was a threat or not. She kept her eyes solely on his figure, ready for any wrong move – any signal that meant he was here for any other reason than to torment her.

After all, he was at one time an enemy, the opposition to her disjointed but well meaning family of mutants. Even after the misguided stunt he pulled in New Orleans years ago, they parted somewhat amicably. But as far as Rogue was concerned, his intentions were still unclear. She couldn't trust him.

"Look, you bettah leave befoah Logan finds out yoah heah" She stated quietly.

"Some things don't change . . ." He let the comment drift, the habitual smirk leaving his lips for the first time since they had started this exchange.

"What do ya want Gambit?" She asked once more, sighing as she did so. Remy tensed, albeit very inconspicuously and stood away from the wall, rising to his full height.

"I . . want t' talk t' y' about somet'in'" His voice deadly serious, his eyes focusing solely on her.

"So talk" Rogue shrugged nonchalantly, having to raise her head to meet his face. Had he always been this tall? It had been a long time since she had last seen him.

"Not here . . . somewhere else" His voice was subdued, but the smirk had returned.

"Not a chance!" Rogue exclaimed indignantly, instantly spinning herself right around and marching over to the balcony doors to show him the way out. She couldn't stand for this and there was absolutely no way she was meeting him anywhere. If he wanted to speak, then here was his chance.

"Oh c'mon chérie . . ." He took a step towards her as she spun around furiously.

"Don't call meh that!" She admonished sternly, jutting her chin forward angrily before clutching the handle on the balcony door and throwing it open – indicating for him to leave.

"Please . . ." He tried again, standing defiantly against her instruction.

"No!" Rogue exaggerated the word like you would to a child, trying to ignore the cool blasts of air that struck her through the open door.

"I'll come back ev'ry night until y' do" Remy kept his voice low, but it was a threat he knew she would not ignore.

"What? Yoah not just goin' ta kidnap meh this tahme?" Her tone was sarcastic, but still he chuckled.

". . . Non" Was his only reply, observing with amusement as her face switched between anger and resignation. There was no way she wanted that hanging over her head – plus, as elusive as Gambit was, she knew Logan would catch up with him eventually and she didn't want to have to explain to anyone why Magneto's ex-acolyte was hanging around in her room.

"Ugh! Fahne!" She resigned, throwing her arms up in mock submission.

"Eight-thirty tomorrow night at Luigi's okay wit' y'?" He spoke quickly as though he were sealing a business agreement, walking swiftly toward the door that Rogue was holding open, now that the stand-off was over.

"Whatevah – now get out of heah befoah ah change mah mind" She was beyond irritated that she was being manipulated into this and watched grumpily as he sauntered past her out the open door, keeping her eyes focused on him until the point at which she would have to turn her head, which she would not – out of principle.

"Au revoir mon chérie . . ." He spoke the words so casually, arrogantly as he vaulted deftly from the balcony railings into the ebony black of the winter's evening.

"Ah already told you . . ." But he had disappeared into the cover of darkness before she could even finish the sentence.

**_Chapter II, to follow soon. Stay tuned._**


	2. Chapter II

Once again, it was a cool evening and what little daylight there had been was already far beyond the horizon. Sporadic flakes of snow flitted inconsistently through the air, irrevocably settling on the icy remnants of the last drift the small New York state town of Bayville had seen.

Other than cars, the street was unsurprisingly devoid of human presence. Rogue herself had borrowed one of Scott Summers many vehicles that lived in the schools garage – with permission from the man himself, of course. It had been no easy feat persuading him to let her borrow one of his precious 'babies', but after a sympathetic word from Jean – the permanently stressed X-man had agreed, provided it was returned in the same condition it was taken in.

Rogue wondered idly why she had even bothered asking? It would be easier to have just taken the damn car – he never would have known it was even gone for the evening. It was out of politeness and respect she supposed.

The small Italian restaurant was unexpectedly quite busy and at any other time, Rogue would have been quite content to sit in the comfortable leather-covered, corner booth she had been seated in by the window. Nobody paid her any mind, except for the waitress who placed a tall glass of diet coke in front of her. Rogue smiled her thanks and pulled back the sleeves of the thick, gray sweater she was wearing - that had slipped over her leather gloved hands and took a sip of her drink.

She would give him another ten minutes. After that and her pride and self-respect would not allow her to wait for any longer. She was on edge as it was, uncharacteristically nervous about meeting him at all. But she was curious as to what he wanted exactly.

He hadn't made it very clear the previous night when he had broken into her room. Why was he bothering with her after all this time? She knew it was nothing more than business. Something that she had or knew and he wanted it. She would have to be ruthless – straight to the point and not be taken for a fool.

"Je suis désole – I got held up" His voice made her flinch. She hadn't realized that he had arrived and she watched quietly as he removed his uniform tan trench coat, revealing a smart-casual ensemble of a deep red, long sleeved shirt and jeans.

"And heah ah was hopin' you had stood meh up." She muttered, folding her arms lightly around her elbows. Remy snorted a little at her remark and sat down opposite her.

"Sorry t' disappoin' y'" He replied, making himself comfortable. Rogue smirked just a little in response, brushing a lock of brown hair that had fallen over her shoulder away.

"This place is kinda 'open' ain't it? Ah figured you moah foh a 'dark alley' kinda approach" She commented, making eye contact finally.

"Dis is Bayville Rogue – dere ar' very few dark alleys t' do my evil dealin's in. Besides, I t'ought y' would b' more comfortable somewhere public" He replied casually, leaning forward and resting his arms on the cloth covered table in front of him. Rogue scrutinized him carefully.

"Fair enough. So, are you goin' ta tell meh what this is all about yet?" She could hear his frustrated sigh as she finished speaking, which confused her even more.

"Let's order firs'" Remy suggested. He needed to butter her up somewhat, get her in a calm frame of mind before he told her anything. She was too tense, too wary of him right now. He had to convince her, let her convince herself that he was not a threat at this very moment in time, if everything was to go to plan.

"Ah cain't believe this!" Her words were low, but irritable as she stood up swiftly in a bid to get out of the booth. Remy remained unmoved as she did so.

"I meant what I said last night" His were full of promise, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She stopped as he spoke.

"Well, then ah guess ah'll just let Logan know and that would beh the end of it. Ah'm not playin' yoah silly games" She told him straight, intent on keeping her own pledge to not be fooled. He looked at her then.

"Please, Rogue?" He was serious. How many more times would he evade telling her? She would give him the benefit of the doubt for now and sat down with an immature thump. They sat in silence for a few minutes – Rogue keeping her attention on the world outside the window, while Remy simply stared straight ahead seemingly deep in thought.

"What kinda creepy act is that anyway? Breakin' into someones room – evah heard of waitin' ta beh invited?" She suddenly blurted out, breaking his train of thought, though he smirked once she stopped speaking.

"Scared y', didn't I?" He stated jokingly, smiling as her face changed into one of incredulity.

"Ah wasn't scared! . . . just shocked" She cried indignantly, refusing to fall for the bait.

"Y' could o' fooled m' . . ." Remy smirked once again. Tormenting the Rogue was becoming a favorite hobby of his.

"Yeah and ah should get a restrainin' ordah or somethin' against you" She replied, her tone full of sarcasm and crossed her arms defensively in front of her.

"Y' know dat wouldn't stop me" He replied knowingly, looking away from her as the waitress that had served Rogue earlier approached the table.

"Can I get you folks anymore drinks?" Her voice was high, tight blond curls framing her face like a cherub, Remy smiled appreciatively – Rogue raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes.

"No thanks" She told the waitress politely.

"Two glasses of de house red, sil vous plait" Remy spoke over her, to which Rogue huffed quietly as the waitress walked away.

"You tryin' ta get meh drunk Gambit?" She asked in reference to the wine he had ordered.

"Do y' think we could start usin' real names now . . . dis is a nice place aft'r all" He wasn't smiling when he said it. Rogue looked at him directly, her brow furrowed.

"Ah'm not tellin' you mah real name" She stated, her voice tinged with mirth – jade eyes narrowed at his strange red irises, one of the side effects of his mutation she guessed.

"I didn't ask y' t" Remy stated quickly. This wasn't going how he had planned. Rogue was unpredictable, he never knew which way she was going to go and the fact that she had touched him twice, seen his memories, his thoughts made him even more wary of what was going on in her head. Once more, the blond waitress returned carrying two large, bulb shaped glasses of rich burgundy wine on a circular tray.

"Okay here you go. Are you ready to order yet?" The young woman asked placing the glasses on the table. Remy gestured for Rogue to order first.

"Ah'll have the mushroom ravioli please" She requested quietly, keeping her eyes on Remy.

"Make dat two" He said to the waitress before looking back at Rogue and smirking when he noticed the scowl on her face.

"So . . . talk" That was Rogue's cue for him to keep his word. They had ordered. It was now or never as far as Rogue was concerned.

"I need y'r help" He stated lowly, reaching out for his glass of wine.

"It's not yoah Fathah again is it?" Was her immediate reaction, her tone light. Remy looked away out into the blackness beyond the window beside him.

"Non. If it was I would've taken a leaf out o' y' book" His replied slowly, continuing to stare out the glass.

"What's that supposed ta mean?" She asked defensively, taken aback slightly by the way he said it. The only other person who had ever spoken to her like that was Kurt.

"It means dat I wouldn't both'r tryin" He answered cryptically, his voice still low.

"Oh . . ." She said softly. What else could she say? After all, how many years had it been since she had pushed Mystique from that cliff? How long since she and her adoptive brother, Kurt had walked away from her after the ill-attempted rising of Apocolypse? She was certainly not entitled to judge on such a matter. They sat in silence for a little while longer, listening to the melodic piano solo playing throughout the restaurant.

"Do y' miss her?" Remy asked suddenly, looking at her finally.

"Who? Mystique? No. Ah guess ah don't really believe that she's gone . . . she's not that easy ta get away from" She replied softly, smiling vainly and looking down at her hands in her jean clad lap.

"We've had dis conversation b'fore?" He remembered, smiling quickly at her.

"Yeah . . . so . . why do yah need mah help?" She changed the topic swiftly, in an effort to bring them back to what they should be discussing.

"I want y' t' get some information f' me" He replied. His face stoic.

"How do you mean?" Rogue questioned suspiciously.

"Touch someone . . . find ou' what I need t' know" He elaborated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Remy . . . ah don't do that anymoah. Since the whole Apocalypse thing . . ah haven't touched anybody . . besides, it doesn't really work that way" She faltered, reaching out to take a sip from her diet coke.

"I'll pay y', o' course. Enough t' pay back Xavier" He said quickly. Her eyes shot up to his, widened like a deer caught in headlights, her lips parted in surprise, head tilted to the side slightly.

"How do ya know about that?" She gasped, wanting really to find out just how much he did know or even if he was bluffing, which she was pretty sure wasn't beyond him. Remy smirked knowingly.

"Do y' rememb'r when I told y' dat y' got people watchin' out f' y?" He recalled the moment on the bayou three years ago, after she had rescued him from being shredded by Wolverine.

"You've been keeping tabs on meh?" She decided disbelievingly. He chuckled as the realization hit her.

"I keep tabs on ev'ryone chérie" Remy replied with a smirk.

"You are one creepy Cajun, you know that?" She stated, shaking her head gently.

"So I've been told" He rebounded. Rogue stayed quite for a minute or so, trying to work out whether she should take this up or not.

"What 'exactly' do ya want meh ta do?" She emphasized the 'exactly', wanting to extract as much information as she could from him. Remy leaned back into his seat.

"Touch one person, see if dey know de location of de 'thing' I'm lookin' for'" He clarified casually. Rogue leaned forward onto the table.

"Wouldn't it make moah sense ta just rent a telepath or somethin'? She asked mockingly. So far, he wasn't giving too much away.

"Tried dat already . . . didn't work. Dis person able t' block dere mind somehow" He relayed just as their waitress walked over and placed their meals before them. After assuring the young woman that they needed nothing else, they both began to eat silently.

"What if ah cain't find out what ya want?" Rogue asked suddenly, popping a mouthful of the pasta into her mouth and staring intently at the man across from her.

"Y' still get y'r money" Remy replied, returning her gaze. Rogue gulped.

"So what are you lookin' foh?" She tried once more.

"I can't tell y' dat jus' yet" He replied swiftly, taking another mouthful of his own food. Rogue tried to keep her face expressionless.

"Why not? You worried ah'm goin' to tell somebody?" She goaded lightly, watching as he ate. Was he afraid that she would tell somebody? After all, she had accessed his mind twice and never told anybody if she had seen something incriminating toward him. Could he really trust her? He laughed lightly at her. She had to believe that was not something that crossed his mind.

"Non. Y' haven't even agreed t' do it yet." He told her.

"Ah'm not agreeing tah anything until ah know exactly what ah'm bein' roped into" Rogue expressed sourly. Remy considered her for a few seconds before pushing aside his plate slowly and leaning onto the table toward her, his eyes boring into hers.

"M' benefactor, de man I'm workin' f' wants m' t' find a crystal. A very powerful crystal dat is bein' protect'd by a group called de Hellfire Club, which jus' happens t' b' located in New York City. Dere is a woman dere dat goes by de name Emma Frost, a.k.a 'De White Queen' – telepath an' foundin' memb'r of de club – she de only one who knows where de crystal is bein' hidden. Dat's where y' come in" Remy spoke carefully, quietly – but loud enough so that she would not miss anything. She was his last chance to get a lead on this. His last encounter with Emma Frost had not gone down so well and the Hellfire Club were notoriously close-mouthed and devious.

Rogue kept quiet. Resting her chin on her hand, she stared blankly out of the window once more, not even registering as the blond waitress from earlier came and cleared their table. Finally, she looked back at him questioningly.

"New York City, raght?" She asked, making sure he wasn't omitting any important details. He nodded once in clarification.

"One touch?" She continued. He nodded once more.

"And ah get payed even if ah don't fahnd nothin'?"

He nodded again. Rogue remained silent, biting her lip as she threw the concept over in her mind. The last few years had been awfully quiet for the X-men. With Magneto long gone and Mystique no where to be seen, there had been very little reason for them to even stay together. Of course there were always minor disasters and the such to sort out and the remaining members of the Brotherhood still showed up once in a while, but otherwise life was very dull where 'saving the world' was concerned.

Besides that, the money to pay back the Professor was too tempting and although Rogue disliked the thought of being 'bought' with money, she would be gaining surely?

"Alraght" She agreed quietly, looking at him directly. Remy smiled, satisfied and signaled for their waitress to come back over and asked for the bill.

"So what now?" Rogue asked as the blond server left. Remy looked at her and then over at the restaurant's entrance.

"Meet m' here tomorrow, same time" He decided whilst digging into his coat pocket and producing his wallet as the waitress returned with a slip of paper on a plate. He took out several notes and placed them immediately onto the dish and handed it back to her. Rogue slipped on her coat and stepped out of the booth as did Remy and they headed for the exit.

"Until tomorrow chérie" He entreated once they were outside the restaurant doors.

"Yeah, don't beh late this tahme" Rogue reprimanded, rolling her eyes as she did so before walking away and disappearing around the corner of the building. Remy smirked at the jibe and the blasé attitude that she bestowed once again. He waited a second or so before following her around the corner, walking quietly along the now snowy sidewalk until he could see her clearly from a good distance, getting into her car and driving away.

**_Thanks for the reviews DancingtilSunset, Allyg1990 and AshmandaLC. Next, Chapter three . . ._**


	3. Chapter III

Rogue shivered once again as she came to stand outside Luigi's, the Italian restaurant where she had eaten the night before. The sky was pitch black, the air frozen starkly – at least there was no falling snow this evening, as she had stolen herself masterfully from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters -well as inconspicuously as she could from a property that housed two incredibly powerful telepath's.

But even if either the Professor or Jean did know that she had crept out under everyone else's noses, she was quite sure that neither of them would intrude in her private life, if they were even listening that is.

She was early. She didn't really know why she had left the mansion so prematurely – the only thing she could find reason for would be curiosity. Yes, it had to be that.

After last night, a spark of sorts had almost ignited in her stomach – an anxiety to know what kind of mission it was that Remy LeBeau, born into a family of thieves, bestowed with mutant powers and an almost inhuman quality of agility and to top it off, codenamed 'Gambit' – would possibly need her?

She really didn't know what to expect tonight and so had worn what she hoped to be 'appropriate' wear for the occasion and dressed herself entirely in black, not forgetting to put on a thick, beanie hat in co-ordination with the rest of her attire in respect to the cool weather. It made sense to her at least – after all, if what little she knew of Gambit was right, she had a sneaking suspicion that this would not be a formally arranged meeting with The White Queen, whomever she may be.

From the little information he had given her the previous night, it seemed as though he and this woman had met before – possibly the last time he had tried to gain access into her mind, via his rent-a-mind reader - which had apparently proved unsuccessful.

But what really rattled her thoughts was just who was Gambit working for now? Magneto was pretty much assumed dead by everyone other than Professor Xavier, who remained unconvinced. Even so, surely Remy could tell that Magneto was a lost cause?

Her train of endless thought was brought abruptly to an end when the loud, unmistakable roar of a Harley Davidson 2003 FXDL was kicked into gear at the traffic lights three blocks away. Rogue turned her head and observed quietly as the large, growling motorcycle was driven into her peripheral eye line. She knew who was in control of the ebony sheened, vehicle before it even swerved arrogantly onto the side of the road and skidded expertly to a halt, centimeters from the curb.

She simply raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the smirking man on the bike, red eyes glowing ominously in the darkness.

"Y' getting' on or y' gonna stand dere all night?" His tone was teasing, indomitable smirk set firmly in place. Rogue eyed the back seat of the Harley somewhat apprehensively, although she would not let it show outwardly and eventually raised her eyes to his and returned his facial gesture.

"Nahce ride" She commented casually as she walked over to him and without a second thought, swung her leg over the leather seat and sat herself down softly behind him.

"It's not mine. Bett'r hold on tight chérie . . ." His voice was low and dripping with innuendo's, ready to roll off the tongue at a milliseconds notice. She breathed out loudly and finally placed her arms around his waist.

"Happy now?" She responded sarcastically, ignoring the tremble that traveled through him when he chuckled at her obnoxious reply. At least she did not seem too concerned with the fact that he had obviously 'borrowed' the motorcycle from upstate New York. With any luck, if everything went to plan this evening – he would be able to simply leave the Harley in a parking lot somewhere to be somebody else's problem, once he had got his use out of it.

They traveled at break neck speed, twisting and turning manically between traffic, the Harley roaring tremendously as they headed for the city. Rogue found herself inadvertently clasping her arms tighter around his stomach and turning her head against his back to keep the harsh, bitter wind from blowing onto her face. She was no rookie when it came to motorcycles, having ridden with Logan many times before now – but this was an entirely different experience, she had to admit.

The journey took them less than an hour, on a trip that would normally take over that on a good day. Rogue watched silently as the bright lights of The Big Apple arrived suddenly once they had made it over the Brooklyn bridge and she felt the bikes speed drop dramatically as they entered Manhattan. Remy maneuvered the growling Harley Davidson smoothly around the city before pulling swiftly into an darkened alley somewhere on east 43rd. Rogue climbed automatically off from the bike, still feeling the tremble of the engine in her knees as she walked a few feet away and waited patiently for Remy's next instruction.

"Dis is it" He introduced her to the alley which she assumed backed onto The Hellfire Clubs quarters.

"What now? Do we just walk in and ask foh The White Queen or Emma . . or whatevah her name was?" She asked all to innocently, earning a roll of the eyes from Gambit as he walked past her, heading further into the darkened alley.

"Emma Frost and non. We go in de back way" He answered casually.

"Ah was afraid you were goin' ta say that" Rogue muttered knowingly, earning another small chortle from Remy, who had ducked down and was lightly charging the edges of a large grate, that was embedded half a foot or so above the ground in the wall of the building she assumed they were breaking into. The metal grate hissed, glowing dangerously magenta for a second before popping loudly, clattering as it fell out of place. Pulling the grate out of it's hole and placing it aside, he crawled into the tunnel beyond.

"Follow me" He called back to her, pulling out a six of spades and once again passing a kinetic charge through the object, resulting with a darker, almost red glow to light the way through the darkness. Rogue crouched at the entrance and allowed a dissatisfied grimace to surface on her face.

"Figures. Ah'm glad ah didn't wear mah good pants . . ." She grumbled unenthusiastically, as she too crawled in after him- following the red glow of the card he had charged around a sharp bend in the tunnel, as she could no longer see him.

"Quit y'r whinin'! I know y' enjoyin' dis really" He responded jovially in front.

"Please! Ah'm doin' this foh cold hard cash and that's it!" She replied, a disgusted expression seething through her lips as her knee landed in a wet, oddly slimy feeling puddle.

"An' ere I t'ought y' jus' want'd my company. Y' break m' heart Rogue, y' really do." He continued facetiously, checking off the manhole plates as he passed below them, in his head. He had memorized the blueprint of this entire block many times before now and felt confident that so far, no unprecedented changes would arise. Getting into The Hellfire Club was easy, getting out unscathed would be much harder, especially if Rogue reacted badly to whatever was in Emma Frosts mind – he would have to get her out in one piece if he wanted the information he was after.

"Shut up! . . So what exactly are yah lookin' foh?" She inquired honestly. After all, she would need to know precisely what she was supposed to be looking for in the Frost womans thoughts.

"De Nova Crystal" He replied despondently as they continued through the gloomy passage.

"What does it look lahke?" She asked immediately, noting his distracted tone.

"Blue, like a sapphire . . about de size o' a fist" He faltered.

"Why do you need it?" She pressed, trying to take advantage of his diverted attention. She was too slow.

"Dat's not important" He replied seriously, following another bend in the tunnel.

"Not important or you just don't want ta tell me?" She retorted with annoyance, following the red glow around the corner he had just turned into. Remy ignored her aggravated question, concentrating instead on the route ahead.

"Fahne. When do ah get mah money?" She re-directed her curiosity.

"When y' finish de job. Y' have m' word" He told her earnestly, feeling just a tinge of guilt for even getting her involved in this whole 'fool's errand' in the first place. He heard her snicker disbelievingly behind him.

"Does that actually mean anything?" Was her immediate response. Remy stopped mid-crawl as he reached yet another manhole cover, retracting the kinetic charge he had on the card – he placed it back in the pocket of his trench coat.

"Trust m', it does" He said honestly as once again, he carefully charged the edge of the metal plate above him, letting it hiss with agitation before popping, the echo in the long passage they had come through making it sound a lot louder than it really was. With one heave, he pushed the cover upwards and across – sliding the heavy, metal plate over to make room for them to climb up into the unused janitors closet above. The room was dim, lightened only by the glow coming from the lit corridor under the closed door.

Remy pulled himself up into the small room, turning back to offer Rogue a hand up. She avoided it reflexively, having abstained from human contact for many years now – it was a natural reaction for her. Remy didn't take it personally.

The door leading out of the closet was unlocked and gently, he opened it just enough to peer out into the corridor, decorated in an unoriginal gold, patterned wallpaper and a rich, wine tinted carpet - to make sure the way was clear. He knew it would be, but still there was no harm in checking. Opening the door fully, he walked out – Rogue followed cautiously behind.

"Ah have a question" She uttered furtively.

"F' de girl who talks t' nobody . . y' sure hav' a lot o' questions . ." He remarked, smirking wryly – leading the way up some narrow stairs at the end of the hall.

"If this Frost woman is telepathic, won't she know that we're comin'?" She continued, ignoring his comment as they reached the top of the stairs and continued along another identical corridor.

"Possibly, but dere is a high society ball goin' on here dis evenin'. Chances are, dat she's blockin' everyone out, or dere will be so many voices flyin' around, she won't know where we are" He replied nonchalantly, throwing his hand out expressively for good measure.

"Yoah plan is a little haphazard, don't ya think?" Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Makes it more excitin', no?" He turned, throwing an effortless wink in her direction. She couldn't help but smile and shake her head at him.

"Ah'm startin' ta understand why you call yoahself Gambit?" She murmured, mostly to herself. Suddenly, he held out his arm in front of her, blocking her from going any further.

"Wait here" He instructed, serious once again as he stepped cautiously ahead and disappeared around a passage leading off the hallway, they were walking along. Rogue waited a second, before rolling her eyes and following him deftly out onto a narrow viewing balcony. The inoffensively decorated corridor gave way to a large, sprawling room covered from floor to ceiling in the finest oak paneling. Fantastical glass chandeliers plunged into the exquisite foyer below, basking the room in a luminescent light. A small orchestra sat on a low-level platform, performing well known classical reveries while at least one-hundred and fifty people, dressed formally in expensive tuxedos and cocktail gowns - milled around, socializing with each other.

"Which one is she?" She asked, raising her voice so that he could hear her over the loud murmurings, that echoed in the expansive room. Remy turned his head slightly, an annoyed looking expression evident on his profile.

"De blond one wit' de white dress" He replied, in an equal tone. Rogue followed his eyes to a tall looking woman with very unnaturally blond, straight hair – wearing a particularly revealing white dress glittering with diamonds, that cut across every curve of her body imaginable. Most certainly, no wilting flower – she caught the eye of everyone in the room – whether that had anything to do with her mutant powers, Rogue did not know.

"She's certainly creative with her outfits" She observed with some mirthfulness, earning a light chuckle from Remy.

"M' type o' woman" He remarked off-handedly.

"Bleach blond, free and easy, huh?" She responded jokingly, keeping an eye on the moving room and her target below. Without warning, Emma Frost made her excuses and began making her way through the over-filled hall, Rogue felt Remy stir beside her.

"C'mon . . stay close t' de wall" He directed, leading her across the balcony, down one floor of stairs and into another janitors closet. Reaching above him, he pulled down another grate that obviously supplied the air-conditioning throughout the entire building. Jumping agilely, he caught the edge of the small opening and maneuvered himself snugly up through the gap.

Swiftly, he leaned back down gesturing for Rogue to venture closer, she did so and taking a deep breath took a hold of his awaiting hands and allowed him to pull her up into the vent.

Quickly, but quietly he led her through the boxy tunnel, littered with grates showing various rooms of interest below as they crawled over them silently, finally stopping at one particular grate which he lifted and placed unceremoniously on the other side of the opening and leaped down into the room below, not making a sound as he did so. Rogue followed suit, lowering herself slowly into the room after him.

"Nahce. Wheah are we?" She whispered, referring to the gloriously over-sized, but very plushly decorated office they had literally dropped into. This room had a very modern, city slick look to it – with a clear glass, black framed desk and furnishings to match. The room was painted white, the floor wooden – it contrasted horribly with the rich, classical designs in the rest of the building.

"Welcome t' Ms Frost's office" He replied, checking the door that led out of the room and finding it was locked.

"You've been heah befoah?" She asked curiously, removing both her black leather gloves, placing them securely in her jacket pockets and taking a stance behind where the door would open into the room. She would need the element of surprise.

"Hmmm . . . she'll b' here soon" He commented swiftly, not looking her in the eye. She did not know how he knew that The White Queen would arrive in her office any minute, nor did she really understand why he needed this 'Nova' crystal so much – maybe Emma Frost could give her that answer.

Not five minutes passed before the steady rhythm of neck-breaking stiletto's could be heard closing in on them down the hall. The seconds seem to pass as hours, until eventually the turn of a key jangled in the lock of the door and it swung open to reveal non other than Emma Frost, her icy blue stare widened in obvious surprise as she realized who was in her office.

Remy, stood half leaning against her glass desk arms folded loosely across each other, arrogant cock-sure smirk firmly on display.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was stern, an underlying Boston accent surfacing in her anger as she stood, slightly in shock to see her unwelcome guest.

"Dat ain't no way t' greet an' ol' acquaintance now is it?" He admonished her lightly, goading her for all her attention.

"I warned you last time LeBeau . . ." She did not continue her sentence as suddenly Remy clutched his head with both hands, a psionic force of energy straining into his head – an intense pain, like electricity ramming into his mind. That was all that Rogue needed to see as she bolted from behind the door and grasped both hands to the woman's bare neck, the former crying out as Rogues powers came into effect. It was only a second, but that was all Emma needed to also give Rogue a psionic bolt, sending her flying back into the wall, before suddenly collapsing to the floor unconscious.

It took a while for Remy to get over the hammering effect of Emma Frosts psychic abilities, before he could gather himself from the ground. Holding his head tenderly, he looked up to see Rogue sat against the wall, quietly with her knees pulled to her chest, eyes scrunched tightly in concentration. He ventured over to her slowly, stepping over The White Queen's comatose form.

"Y' ok?" He asked gently, towering over her.

"Yeah . . ." She replied roughly, although it did not sound or appear as though she were in any pain. Rogue meanwhile was struggling to put Emma's thoughts in to some kind of order and the unbearable noise of everybody's thoughts within a half-mile radius, was deafening. Of course she had some experience in dealing with telepathy, having absorbed Jeans and Charles Xavier's abilities during countless sessions of trying to control her own mutant power.

But it was different with them. They were ready for her, having put their thoughts and feelings aside in preparation for her to absorb them. Other than the Professor, Rogue had not touched another person for years and this was like experiencing her powers for the first time once again.

Remy frowned uncertainly as she remained unmoved on the floor, hands cradling her head loosely.

Without warning, she stood abruptly – brushing against him unwittingly as she did so and opened her eyes – a familiar glacial blue gaze had taken the place of her own, the unexpected effect unnerved him more than he was willing to admit.

"We have ta leave – ah can heah them – they know we're heah . . ." She mumbled, almost incoherently. Remy listened carefully, but could hear nothing – it was obviously Emma's telepathic power that was giving her this information, the woman must have been able to send out a warning before she had been knocked out from Rogue's touch.

Stepping around her still form cautiously, he opened the door - which had closed during the struggle – and watched with bated breath for any indication that these people, whoever they were – could be close.

All of a sudden, the heavy sound of running could be heard approaching. Three tuxedo clad men raced toward Emma Frost's office, Remy slammed the door shut. There wasn't enough time to escape back through the air-vent system. By the time they made it through, the entire Hellfire Club would know exactly where they were headed and would be waiting for them.

The door was thrown open, the three men barely having enough time to register the shock on their faces as a trio of red, crackling playing cards met them, exploding vehemently as they made contact with they're objective.

"Go!" Remy shouted to her as they raced past the injured and stunned men, writhing on the ground outside the room and bolted down the long hall beyond them. There was only one way out of the club now and everyone would be on high security alert. Digging into an inside pocket, he pulled out several more playing cards, allowing the flow of kinetic energy to turn them into explosive matter.

He held them ready in his hand as they sprinted through the corridor, pursued by two of the men who had found them in the office. They rounded a corner and came face to face with the tightly, compacted crowd in the foyer they had witnessed earlier on the balcony, skidding to halt.

Rogue, placed a hand on her temple and in one swift movement, the entire congregation before them fell to their knees, seething painfully as she forwarded Emma Frost's stolen power onto them – the action allowing them to see a clearer way out of the large room. Rogue made an immediate bid for freedom, rushing ahead through the parted throng.

Remy did not stop to awe at the sight before him, instead he threw his kinetically charged cards behind him to meet their pursuers and followed Rogues lead through the crowd, ignoring the overwhelming explosive boom behind him.

Making it outside, they ran the half length of 43rd street which they had come through in the tunnel before – to find the ebony Harley Davidson they had left in the alley and sped off quickly before they could be followed.

Rogue held onto him firmly as they sped through the city. Emma's thoughts were slowly deteriorating, as was her telepathy which was leaving her feeling a little light headed from the experience. She shut her eyes tightly, feeling the low hum and tremble of the engine – the winter air blowing through her hair and clearing her head slightly.

The motorcycles speed dropped significantly and Rogue watched silently as Remy pulled them over , halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge, cutting the bikes engine smoothly.

Rogue crossed her arms against the bitter cold as they stood facing each other. Remy watched her from a distance, noting that she had reapplied her black, leather gloves and that her eyes were back to the familiar green he was accustomed to. He was thankful that the night was almost over and that she seemed unharmed. It was now or never, while Emma Frosts thoughts were still relatively fresh in her mind, he needed this information.

"Dat was impressive . ." He commented, referring to the use of her foreign powers.

"It wasn't me" She scowled contemptuously, trembling from the frozen breeze blasting in from the water.

"Do y' know where it is?" He asked softly, now was obviously not a good time for conversation.

"Seattle" She replied stoically, noticing the sudden hesitation and brief shock that passed through his contrasting red and black eyes, when she named the Nova Crystal's location.

"Where?" He said it so quietly, she could barely hear him over the combined noise of the traffic and wind.

"Ah cain't say foh sure . . ah only touched her foh a second. But theah's a man theah . . he has it" She replied, conserving details. He could hear it in her voice that she was not telling him all she knew.

"What's his name chérie . . ." He tried for the pet name approach, knowing it was a mistake the minute she raised her determined green eyes to him.

"Ah'm comin' with you" She stated, no question needed. Remy exhaled and turned away from her, heading back toward the bike. If this is what it came to then he would leave her on this bridge. There was absolutely no way he was giving into her and allowing her to go to Seattle with him.

"No" He replied firmly, straddling the bike in preparation to leave. Rogue remained where she was, watching him carefully.

"Why not?" She asked simply.

"Dat isn't part o' our deal" He answered.

"Well ah'm makin' you a new deal. Let me go with you and ah'll tell you everything ah know" She bargained, walking slowly toward him, two toned hair blowing wildly in the wind.

"No" He responded once again. Intent on keeping his word.

"Seattle is a big city Remy . . what are you goin' ta do, mug every man ya see on the street?" She smirked at him, finding humor in her dramatized little scenario. Remy looked at her intensely.

"Why do y' want t' go so bad?" He questioned, somewhat to himself.

"Why don't you want me ta go?" She countered easily, calling his bluff. His hair had taken on a slightly shaggy look due to the relentless air, she suspected that hers was knotted to the roots.

Remy regarded her slowly. Yes, it would get the job done a lot quicker if she did go to Seattle with him and what possible trouble could a few days in the cosmopolitan city bring. As long as he kept her as far away from . . .

"Y' got any ID wit' y?" He relented, a long sigh preceding his words.

"Yes?" Rogue responded with some surprise. He sighed again and turned the ignition key, bringing the Harley Davidson back to life, a displeased countenance marring his features.

". . . Let's go" He invited, as she climbed on once again behind him and the bike sped off, leaving the bright lights of Manhattan far back in their wake.


	4. Chapter IV

Remy glanced at her once again as she twitched vehemently beside him, a small insignificant moan escaping through her closed lips. She had been asleep for little over a half hour and steadily, her dreaming had turned more and more convulsive during the charter flight to Seattle, Washington.

Her head had somehow ended up resting against his shoulder, rich brown hair and white bangs spilling over her and against his arm. He didn't mind at all, but it amused him somewhat of their close proximity. If she were awake, Rogue would be making as much effort to stay as far away from him as possible in the compact airplane.

Even now, she was clothed chin to foot with not a millimeter of flesh on show. Her hands were covered by tight fitting, black leather gloves and her neck swamped by an olive green, crushed silk scarf that she had bought while they were waiting in the airport lounge in New York.

Remy really couldn't understand how she could live like that. So afraid, always on edge in preparation for what could happen. Her mutant ability ruled her life wholly, without an inch to spare. She was a prisoner in her own skin – literally.

It was a six and a half hour flight to the Emerald City and due to various snow storms over the northern states, there was likely to be turbulence and delays.

He hated the snow. It was cold and unwelcoming, Remy much preferred the sticky humidity of the south, were he had grown up. A vision of the Vieux Carre spread vividly in his mind, how long had it been since he had last been in New Orleans? Far too long, he concluded thoughtfully.

She mumbled something incoherent next to him, her head shaking aggressively in her comatose state. Her brow creased in reaction to whatever she was seeing behind her closed eyes, he observed with interest and a tint of anxiety.

It was not enjoyable to watch a person experiencing a disturbed sleep. He should know, he hadn't slept properly for years and often that was a good thing, for him anyway. A nocturnal lifestyle did not converge well with someone who needed their sleep.

She stirred again and this time he had grown tired of watching her suffer aimlessly. Gently, he placed a hand on her clothed arm and shook it softly.

"Hey, Rogue? chérie . . . wake up" He said lightly, voice hushed so as not to disturb the other passengers on the plane.

She gasped audibly as she awoke from her disturbed rest, bolting away from him when she realized how close they were.

"Whaht? Are we theah yet?" She asked, dazed.

"Non. Y' were havin' a nightmare" He relayed to her, as she yawned.

"Oh. Sorry" She apologized tiredly.

"What was y' dreamin' about?" He asked conversationally, deciding that talking was probably better than the poor in-flight movie being shown.

"Ah don't know . . stuff" She replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

"Was I in it?" He couldn't keep the grin hidden, he knew that would wake her up fully.

"No." She answered, grimacing at the question.

"Y' sure p'tite, y'r lookin' a li'l flushed?" He continued to tease her, making the slight pink blush on her cheeks burn even brighter.

"Ah am one hundred percent positive that ah was not dreamin' bout you, okay?" She replied, a little testily. She was not a morning person at all and even less so after she had not had enough sleep.

"If y' say so . . ." Remy goaded. She was just too much fun when she was in a bad mood, it made her more vulnerable. Rogue simply turned her head away to look out of the little square window beside her, although she could not see anything worth looking at as it was still dark.

"Arrogant swamp rat" She mumbled to herself, her eyes feeling heavy once more.

"Now dat's not very nice" He admonished, smirking at what was obviously meant to be a private insult.

"Whatevah." Rogue grumbled back to him, forcing her eyes to stay open. They sat in silence for a few minutes – Remy watching the soundless movie on the screen in front of him, while Rogue simply stared out into the blackness beyond the glass, occasionally yawning and fighting willfully against her body clock. The entire plane was quiet, even the air stewards had taken themselves away out of sight and only the slightly irritating snorts and snores of a few noisy sleepers could be heard over the constant hum of the aircrafts engines.

"What are dey about? Y'r nightmares? Are dey memories?" He asked with sudden curiosity, trying a different tactic – he disliked being restless. Rogue looked around at him, a questioning and confused look evident on her face. Why on earth was he interested in something as generic as her night time visions.

"Yeah, they tend ta show up in mah dreams" She confirmed.

"How is dat possible?" He inquired stupidly. He knew the answer already, he had read her file countless times while he had been working for Magneto. But still, it was worth pretending he did not know anything for the sake of having something to do at this precise moment.

"From the psyches of people ah've absorbed" She responded sardonically, not believing for a second that he did not know this already and wondering what he could possibly be up to.

"Psyches huh?" He continued ignorantly. She looked at him seriously, contemplating as to why he would ask her this.

"Yes. From the first, ta the last . . ah can still feel them inside mah head and it's the same with you" She added, hoping to get at whatever it was he was planning. Remy simply stared straight back at her, instantly interested in these 'memories' of hers. What exactly did she know?

"So y' know t'ings about people den, secrets nobody else knows?" He reasoned, keeping his outward facade neutral. She sighed thoughtfully.

"It really depends on how long ah made contact with theah skin. Sometahmes, it's really vivid but mostly ah just try ta fohget them. Ah feel lahke ah'm invading theah privacy or something" Rogue smiled nervously as she finished speaking, feeling a little awkward at talking so candidly to him about her mutant powers.

"What do y' know about me?" Remy remained inert, not wanting to give away that he was even the least concerned about what she could know about his past.

"Not much. Even in heah, yoah still kinda hard ta crack" She joked, pointing to her temple. Remy felt some relief and allowed himself to smile in return.

"De same could b' said for y' . . ." He remarked off-handedly.

"So, whahts the deal with this Nova Crystal and ah know wheah it is, so don't even bothah tryin' ta lie ta me" She asked bluntly, swiftly changing the conversation topic to something less disconcerting.

"I would never lie t' y' chérie" Remy replied, a playful smirk giving away the true manner of his words. Rogue simply stared at him straight faced.

"Spill" She demanded calmly. Remy sighed with resignation.

"All I know is dat once upon a time, millions o' years ago an' before dinosaurs walk'd de Earth . . ." He let himself chuckle as Rogue threw her head back into her chair, groaning in response to his audaciousness.

"Gahd! Talkin' ta you is lahke havin' a conversation with a first-grader!" She seethed, teeth clenched.

"Y'r too easy t' wind up Rogue. Lighten up a little, neh?" Remy suggested, self-congratulatory grin set firmly on his lips. He was enjoying this too much.

"This is about as 'light' as ah'm gonna get at six AM in the mornin'" She stated grumpily, letting her eyes close for just a second too long.

"Technically, we crossed time zones already . . so it's actually three AM, again" He replied smugly, earning an irritated sigh from the young woman beside him. Finally, she opened her eyes and sat up, looking straight at him with determination.

"Two words – Nova Crystal" She spoke slowly, a tinge of irritation in her voice. Remy nodded seriously this time and returned her sedate expression, knowing that his teasing would have to end for now.

"Y' ev'r heard o' a cataclysmic explosion?" He questioned, trying to find the easiest way of telling a long story in a more condensed form. Rogue regarded him doubtfully for a second.

"Yeah, as in th' Milky Way raghte? She clarified, thinking back to her science classes in high school and trying to remember the very vague intensity of the subject. Remy simply nodded in affirmation to her approximation.

"Oui. De last time dere was a Supernova dis close t' de Earth, it created dis crystal full o' nuclear power – capable o' t'ings dat ar' out o' dis world. F' years it's been hidden, de Hellfire Club had it f' a long time – where it was befor' dat, I don't know. Like I said, I'm doin' dis f' my benefact'r" He relayed soberly. It was a subject he didn't particularly want to talk too much in depth about, not just to Rogue – but anybody full stop. It made him uneasy, this whole situation he was involved in made him ill at ease in truth. But he had no choice in the matter, he had to find this highly omnipotent object – but if he could keep her out of it as much as possible, he would. Though, Rogue seemed to be on a mission to make that desire an impossibility.

She remained quiet for a good few minutes after that. He could not tell what she was thinking, her face was still, expressionless even – save for the small crease on her brow that told him she was thinking about something, whatever that may be. Finally she looked back to him.

"You really do have a penchant foh workin' foh power crazy maniacs, huh?" She stated rhetorically, her voice ridden with a new ire.

"Excuse moi?" He replied, a little taken back by her words.

"First Magneto an' now this anonymous benefactoh – who wants this ancient, all powerful crystal. You sure know how ta pick 'em" She replied sagaciously, now fully realizing what it was she had allowed herself to be led blindly into. She felt a fool for even letting him convince her to do any of this with the promise of money – it went against everything she stood for and here she was, helping the seemingly eternal sycophant find his master's gold. The thing was, somewhere underneath her cynical approach, she did not believe that Gambit, Remy was destined to be the bad guy.

"Y' don't know what y'r getting at Rogue" He responded darkly, turning his head away from her to signal his inhospitality on this subject. His reasons for doing this, were not her business in the slightest. Why it felt like such a criticism coming from her, he couldn't figure out.

"Yoah impossible" She uttered lowly, suddenly irritated by his defensive attitude.

" . . Ah mean, ah know how ya ended up workin' foh Magneto, but . . ." She continued, but was soon cut short as Remy turned back toward her swiftly.

"Y' said y' didn't know anyt'in about me!" He accused blackly, aggravation creeping into his voice. He had thought, no – believed that she knew nothing of him. He had been careful, all this time to never mention anything of his past to anybody and she had broken through his tightly wound thoughts and seen the things he had never wanted anyone to know.

Rogue hesitated for a second. Her mask of ignorance had been lifted swiftly and she could no longer hide her indifference.

"Ah lied" She spoke softly, her eyes frozen on his.

"What do y' know?" He requested gravely, preparing himself to relive his past once more.

"Ah saw whaht happened with thaht girl, Genevieve" She admitted, though it came out as more of a statement. It stung him to hear that name again, a memory he had long ago pushed into his subconscious to never be thought of again.

He had been young and sent along with his brother Henri, on his first major mission, a 'rite of passage' for the Guild of Thieves in New Orleans. His objective: A priceless jewel, L'étoile de Tricherie – in possession of a young Parisian woman, Genevieve. He had used his wryly charms on the easily influenced young woman, in a bid to extract the location of his prize. But it had all gone so terribly wrong.

In the end, he had to choose between saving either the life of his brother or Genevieve's. He had chosen his brother and lived with her blood on his hands since, the guilt of her lost life lie along with the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

"An' yet here y' are, sittin' next t' me" He acknowledged ominously, subconsciously trying to create more distance between himself and Rogue. His burdens, were not hers.

"Ah also know how you felt when she died. Ah don't believe yoah a bad person Remy, jus' misguided" She countered his grim outlook easily. She had seen his life through his eyes, known how it felt to be at fault and have to live with the guilt of another persons death. Granted, he had it tough and had done things that were not excusable on any account. But she could see past that to an extent and had felt the way he had at his most vulnerable.

She knew that was the major problem here – she had broken the protective barrier and knew what was under the surface of his outward personification. He would never admit it, but it scared him and she was very much aware of that fact.

"Dere's still a lot o' t'ings y' don't know about m' chérie . . ." He remarked darkly. She was too close, she knew too much – well, more than he would have liked her to know anyway.

"We all do things we're not proud of. If it makes ya feel any bettah, ah probably would have done th' same thing" She said quietly.

Remy remained silent for a long time after that. His thoughts and feelings remaining expertly hidden behind a well perfected emotionless guise, his poker face of sorts. It unnerved him that Rogue did not see the real him – all she saw, or at least what she believed she was seeing was him at his most weakened state – a glitch in the normal patterns of his personality. He was a bad person, he was capable of things she should never see or know about and yet, she whole heartedly believed that he was not those things at all.

He could feel her eyes on him as he stared blankly at the television screen in front of him. It was annoying him that she could not see past such a ill-conceived naivety. Eventually, he turned his head to her.

"Y' don't know what y'r talkin' about" He stated inarguably, before getting out of his seat to find some peace elsewhere.

**_

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**_Thank you to Lizzieturbo, jat15 and cocopucks for your reviews. _**

**_Chapter five to follow soon . . ._**


	5. Chapter V

"_Gambit?"_

"_Oui"_

"_Where have you been?"_

"_New York"_

"_Do you have it?"_

"_Non, not yet"_

"_Ah, so you are close?"_

"_Close enough"_

"_Do you know the crystal's location?"_

"_Seattle"_

"_How very interesting. Who was your informant?"_

"_Emma Frost"_

"_So you used the girl after all? Ms Frost would never have given you that information freely"_

" _. . . Oui"_

"_How much does she know?"_

"_Not'in"_

"_Do not lie to me Gambit"_

"_She only knows it's location."_

"_Are you positive?"_

"_Oui, dat's all"_

"_Good. We do not want her to get her little X-friends involved now, do we?"_

"_Non"_

"_Where are you now?"_

"_I'm at de airport"_

"_Is the girl with you?"_

"_Non"_

"_Disappointing. She would have made an ideal test subject . . ."_

"_Don't even t'ink about getting' her involved . . ."_

"_Now, now Gambit . . control your temper. We both know what could result if you do not. Besides, you have already involved her more than she need ever have been."_

"_Leave 'er be Essex"_

"_Hmmm . . when can I expect you?"_

" _. . . . . . ."_

"_Gambit!"_

"_Oui?"_

"_When will you be in possession of the crystal?_

"_End o' de week"_

"_Very well. I well be waiting"_

* * *

Remy clicked the pay phone back onto it's hook, running a hand through his hair tiredly. Sighing to himself, he turned his head and stepped out of the half tented booth – raising his neck to see above the commuting crowd before him in search of Rogue. He slightly adjusted the dark sunglasses he was wearing – a disguise of some sort to detract the obviously, unwanted attention he usually received because of his unusual red on black eyes.

He could just about see her over the throng of people, leaning back onto a large off-white, plastered column beside a soda machine. She looked uncomfortable with so many bodies milling around her and she seemed wholly distracted by that aspect alone, making sure that she never made physical contact with anybody – despite the fact that she was covered chin to foot in clothing.

This situation was going further than he had wanted it to. The original plan had been to simply convince her to get the information he needed from Emma Frost and then go home with a good sum of money wired into her bank account. That was it – why he had allowed her to get this far, he did not know.

The revolving doors, leading out to the city of Seattle were just a few hundred meters away to his left and the temptation to merely slip into the crowd without her notice and continue with his mission alone, was just too enticing.

But, he knew that he could not do that - for the simple reason that in her mistaken sense of certainty and stubbornness, she would probably do the exact opposite of what he would want her to do. It was a difficult situation and he knew that he had to get her out of this, push her to the edge if he had to. That was the only way he could think of, besides physically putting her on a plane back to New York. But even then, who was to say she would not inform the X-Men the moment she got back?

No, he was pretty sure she wouldn't do that. That wasn't Rogue's style, she knew how to keep a secret – that he was sure of. The biggest deciding factor in her favor, was that he wanted to know who was holding the Nova Crystal and the only person who knew that was standing across from him.

After he had discovered how much she really knew about his past on the plane, he had not talked to her again. It angered him a little that she knew those things about him, the parts of his past that he himself chose to never look back on. It changed the dynamics of their acquaintance somewhat, making him feel less in control than he wanted to be.

This was not what he had been expecting. She had managed in less than forty-eight hours, to turn his once simply laid out, if not perhaps sporadic plan – on its head. Therefore, creating a new problem to contend with. It had been an illogical idea to bring her into this in the first place.

Finally, he began to make his way through the moving herds of people to where he had told her to wait for him. She didn't even notice that he was approaching her until he was little more than a foot away. Her green eyes shot up to his face when she did eventually acknowledge his presence, widened in expectation. He set his jaw firmly, ready to take on whatever she would throw at him next.

He knew, that as tremendous an advantage her knowledge of the crystals location would be – he could not allow her to continue on this venture with him. For his own state of mind at least, he would rather she were back in the small town of Bayville, under the protection of Professor Xavier and his X-Men. He had taken advantage of her before, three years ago – relying almost entirely on the notion that she would help him because of her saintlike nature – the part of herself that she rarely showed, yet had demonstrated on various occasions - even after abducting her against her will. That was something he had vowed to himself to never do again – at least not to her anyway.

"What's his name?" He asked sternly, trying to be as no-nonsense like as possible. Her brow knit in confusion as he spoke, bemused as to his sudden change of attitude toward her. Part of her had expected him to turn back on her at some point – after all, as the saying goes 'Never trust a thief'.

"Whaht?" She replied, stupefied by his abrupt, severe tone.

"I've kept m' part o' de bargain, now it's y'r turn" He responded, keeping his eyes on her and remaining as cool and decisive as he could.

"Remy, we ain't even out of the airport yet . . ." Rogue reasoned smoothly, growing more annoyed as she began to realize that he was actually turning her deal back on her.

"Y' didn't specify details" He cut her off sternly, arrogantly – noting as her emerald eyes narrowed in sudden apprehension and she crossed her arms resolutely across her chest, tilting her face obstinately up at him.

"Whaht about mah money?" She asked, her voice was low, but loud enough for him to hear over the obvious background noises surrounding them.

"You'll get it when y're back in New York" He relayed, turning his head away from her dismissively to look at something casually over his shoulder.

Rogue considered him quietly for a second or so. She wasn't as easily influenced or misguided as he believed her to be and she would not back down on this.

"No" She said staidly, noting the slight wince in his eyes as he looked back toward her.

"Dis isn't up f' debate. Y' tell me de name or not – eith'r way, I'm walkin' out dose doors alone." He responded decisively, nodding his head toward the bright exit in an attempt to make his point more clear. Rogue merely cocked an incredulous eyebrow at him.

"Then ah guess ah'll beh goin aftah the crystal mahself and then wheah will you beh?" She replied precociously, knowing that he would not appreciate the prospect of blackmail from her – though she silently hoped the scourge would convince him to switch his mind set. Besides, he knew that she probably could take the crystal on her own, with both the advantage of knowing who had it and her mutant powers on hand. He was also only too aware that once it was in her possession, she would undoubtedly hand it over to Xavier for safe keeping.

"Don't push m' Rogue" He seethed and she noted the brightening glow of red behind the dark shades covering his eyes, his jaw remaining set firmly in place, though his body language became more ominous as though ready to attack at any moment. She was right, he did not like that prospect at all and despite herself, his reaction to her response made her slightly uneasy.

"Or whaht? Ya blow the place ta smithereens raghte? Gahd! Cain't ya use a new line – ya tried thaht one befoah remembah? On the train ta New Orleans?" She ranted, bringing up their last little adventure together and choosing to ignore her feelings of apprehension.

"Merde!" He cursed loudly, running a hand through his shaggy auburn hair with aggravation. He turned away from her, pacing a little beside the soda machine – in an attempt to calm his anger down, he knew it was happening again – he could see it in her eyes when he had told her not to push him. The rage swelled aggressively in his veins, his fingertips tingling with unexpended energy, itching to just let go. He couldn't allow her to rile him up, though that seemed to be becoming increasingly difficult lately.

"Ah'm not leavin' Seattle until this is ovah. Ah hate leavin' things unfinished" She muttered the last part, watching him closely as he now stood with his back to her. Remy took a deep breath as she spoke, not really listening to the full meaning of her words. He should have known that getting Rogue uninvolved would be more troublesome than convincing her to do it in the first place. She was a typical woman when it came to that.

"O' course y' don't! Y' too stubborn f' y'r own good girl" He responded petulantly, turning his head so she could see his profile and thus hear what he was saying. He didn't want to give in to her, but at this moment in time – he had no other choice. Instead, Remy was willing to bet that at some point he would be able to lose her along the way – though he fully expected that she would make any opportunity for that to happen very problematic.

"And yoah jus' too boneheaded ta realize that yoah mind games don't work on meh" She rebounded easily. Her words made him smirk just a little at her obnoxious attitude, his choler subsiding gradually. She was using everything she had on him all at once, playing all her cards straight off without a moment for reflection. He couldn't be sure if she was aware that she was doing that or not and therefore could not ascertain if he could work that to his benefit just yet. Rogue was smart and logical, but he was more capricious – that was what could be the crucially decisive axis in all of this.

At last, he turned back around to face her fully, his momentary smirk hidden behind a serious facade once again. He looked her over carefully from behind the dark lenses covering his eyes. The fatigue was evident in her face, in the way she stood even. It had been a long night and he was pretty sure that she had only managed to sleep for a couple of hours on the plane. He sighed audibly, suddenly craving a cigarette.

"Y' tired, hein?" He stated, rather than asked. Rogue stared up at him, a little disoriented by his changed tone. She had been expecting another argumentative quip or a French curse at the very least.

"Not really . . well, maybeh a little bit. But ah'm fahne, ah can carry on" She replied earnestly, not wanting to give him any opportunity to shun her back again.

"Do y' want t' call y'r amis? Tell em' dat y'r okay?" Remy questioned, the thought abruptly popping into his head. The X-Men looked out for their own significantly and Rogue's sudden and unexplained disappearance was sure to provoke worry and investigation and he was sure that it would not take long for them to track Rogue down, especially with the feral Wolverine at their disposal.

"Ah already left them a message while you were on th' pay phone" She pulled out a sleek, black cell phone from her jacket pocket – quickly checking it to see that she had not received any new calls or text messages, before sliding it back in again.

"What did y' tell em'?" He inquired with some interest, though he was unworried – trusting that she would not say anything to raise any suspicion.

"Ah jus' told them ah needed a break an' went ta visit Kitty foh a few days" She told him truthfully. It was a believable premise, she had done it a few times before and she knew that no one would query her motives. It was easier if the X-Men didn't know what she was really doing, they would only want to get involved – that was their way and Logan was sure to make a huge deal about her running off with an ex-acolyte. Honestly, she just really did not want the hassle.

"Bien" Remy agreed to her conduct. He really needed a cigarette and subconsciously he dug his hand into his coat pocket, his fingers instantly searching for the half-full pack he knew was in there.

"So whaht now?" Rogue asked sedately. He considered that for a second. There really wasn't anything that could be done during daylight hours. This man, whoever he was – was sure to be more difficult to get to than Emma Frost was at the Hellfire Club. He would need to extract whatever information Rogue was withholding from him and figure out an action plan of some kind.

"Let's go" He replied simply, nodding his head casually toward the buildings exit and without warning he took a hold of her arm gently, but firmly and turned in the direction of the swivel doors beyond, tugging her along behind him.

At first, Rogue instantly went to pull back her accosted limb in shock, but Remy refused to let go of her – ignoring her obvious resistance and simply pulled her along with him, making a path through the crowd of people that stood between himself and the door to the Emerald City.

* * *

**_Thank you so much to AshmandaLC, Starlight2twilight, Lizzieturbo and ChamberlinofMusic for reviewing chapter four. Stay tuned . . ._**


	6. Chapter VI

The cab ride into downtown Seattle was quiet, save for the ever so slightly annoying and senseless rap music that filled the silence. Neither of them recognized the songs in the least and simply sat on either side of the backseat in the yellow cab, observing taciturnly at the passing scenery beyond the dirty glass windows.

The concrete streets were covered in thick snow and Rogue felt the slight reminiscence of New York, her adopted home of sorts. Though like every where in the world, nothing is ever the same and Rogue idly wished that it were summer, so that she might see the true personality of the city – instead of its masked form behind the wintry blizzard outside.

It would be a fair notion to assume that she did not particularly enjoy the cold weather, because in truth she didn't. It had been hard for her in those first few winters she had spent in Bayville and she remembered clearly the absolute wretchedness she had felt at the prospect of even having to go outside.

As far as Rogue was concerned, the snow was nice to look at from indoors where it was warm and snug and had very little desire to to do anything else with it.

She let her eyes flit over to the man sitting to her left - staring distractedly through the dark sunglasses he was still wearing and decided resolutely that Remy felt very much the same way as she did about the cool atmospherics. The apparent distaste for the matter was evident in his face when they had walked out of the airport doors not so long ago, or rather she was pulled out against her will.

Having never been to Seattle in her life, she had absolutely no idea where they were headed and the urge to just demand out loud, where it was they were going? Was just too tempting. But, for some reason she could not fathom, she didn't give into that enticement and instead remained deferentially restrained.

The cab moved slowly, hitting traffic constantly as was to be expected at this time in the day, until eventually they turned southwards and ground to a swift halt outside an ominously tall, gray brick faced building.

Now that they had stopped moving, the falling snow outside seemed to be thicker and heavier in consistency than she had first thought and on that impression, she pulled on the black beanie she had been wearing back in New York, in preparation for what lie in wait beyond the warmer confines of the vehicle.

She followed Remy mutely into the large edifice, soon discerning from the foyer that this was a standardized, if not a little outdated apartment building – she found herself waiting patiently for the elevator to arrive back down on the ground floor and stepped in obediently when the doors pinged opened before them, watching keenly as he pressed the correct floor number to take them to their eventual destination.

"Why did you ask meh ta help you?" She blurted suddenly. Remy looked at her with interest. Amused, more than startled by her unexpected question.

"What does it matt'r?" He replied enigmatically.

"Well, ah'm sure thaht theah were plenty othah mutants thaht ya could have bribed instead o' meh" She stated blatantly, to which Remy let out a soft chuckle.

"'Bribe' is a very strong word chérie . . . an' y' weren't all dat hard t' convince" He responded with a contemptuous smirk.

"Whaht's thaht supposed ta mean?" She rebuked defensively, not at all pleased that he thought she had given in to his offer of money so easily. Though, in retrospect she supposed she had – far too easily perhaps.

"Only dat y' didn't have t' agree. Nobody was forcin' y'" He said it nonchalantly, smirk still set firmly on his lips.

"This tahme" She remarked somewhat bitterly, crossing her arms guardedly across her chest.

Remy ignored her comment, not wanting in the least to refer back to that anymore. He had done wrong back then, so falling into that line of conversation was a losing battle he could see from afar.

"What I want t' know is why y' would come dis far when y' already done de job I wanted y' f'?" He asked instead, reverting the spotlight back onto her.

"Ah don't know. It seemed lahke a good idea at the tahme" She remarked quietly after a moments contemplation.

Why had she wanted to do this? At first, the prospect of cash in return for the use of her mutant ability, was all she had been in for. But, the moment she had seen Emma's Frost's thoughts, witnessed the Nova Crystal being unlocked from it's prison and shipped away secretly – she had felt this overwhelming motivation to intervene. Although she still knew very little about the crystal or what it was capable of, her real concern lie in the individual it was to be handed to.

Maybe it was a sixth sense of a kind, or perhaps the X-Men's constant impression of following 'gut instincts' had finally, at long last sunk into her brain. Whatever it was, she didn't feel comfortable about allowing the crystal to fall into potentially dangerous hands.

She couldn't be sure what Gambit's connection was to this 'benefactor' of his, or where his allegiances lie – beyond his own needs anyway. All she considered in actuality, was how this whole transaction of dealings was ultimately going to result.

But still, that did not explain her being here – with 'him'. She could have easily told him that she knew nothing and then gone back to the X-Men and dealt with this knowledge that way – but she hadn't. Instead she had used it to get in on his own pursuit of the crystal, thus gaining access into his arrangements – though she was only too aware of his true nature and expected at all times to be deceived.

She couldn't allow herself to trust him and yet, every moment that passed in his presence irrevocably made her want to.

It was very much like being between a rock and a hard place. She had no back up and what she was going to do if these unforeseeable chain of events led to something that required her to 'step in', so to speak – she did not know.

After all of Logan's training and Scott's consistent drilling of 'teamwork' that had been implored upon her for the last six years of her life, was at this moment in time bearing very little relativity.

Right now, she was on her own and something inside her felt excitement at that, even relief perhaps from not being tied to the well being of others. The only person she had to look out for was herself, or was it?

At last, the elevator doors pinged open once again and she allowed herself to be lead down a long, dimly lit corridor, until Remy stopped before her in front of a narrow looking, dark olive colored doorway. She didn't watch him as he put the key in the lock, instead she kept her eyes on the worn brown carpet beneath her booted feet and waited patiently for him to gain access into the apartment.

The room beyond was underwhelming to say the least. Not at all what she would have expected from Gambit, master thief and lady killer that he was. The walls were matte magnolia, the floor covered in walnut laminate and the furnishings did not exceed the muted tone of the rooms base. The man she had absorbed many years before, that still partially lived in the subconscious of her mind along with many others – did not fit into this room at all.

It was just incredibly . . . plain, personality-less and for a minute or so, she simply stood in the doorway stoically, observing him as he wondered casually into the sparsely furnished room and headed directly for the thermostat on the wall, adjusting it quickly in a bid to warm the place up.

Having done that, he walked over into the small, neutrally tiled kitchenette on the opposite side of the apartment and changed the filter in the coffee machine, that sat neatly on the counter – before finally slipping off the long tan trench coat, his staple piece of clothing that she had never known him to be without and threw it coolly over the back of a chair, close by.

The removal of his beloved over garment, revealed a simple, tight-fitting black t-shirt that seemed to show off the lean muscles of his back and torso to perfection and not paying any heed to potentially watchful eyes, he stretched his upper body languorously, taking his time to enjoy the pull and release of his tightened musculature.

The blush on her cheeks was immediate and Rogue wasn't quite sure how to handle it. Yes, he was good looking, no – incredibly so and it irritated her to no end how anyone, not just him could flaunt themselves precariously in front of her. She was the girl who could not touch, would likely never be able to touch – never experience the intimacy of skin on skin contact. She would never admit to anyone that the very thought of never being intimate with someone, killed her to no end.

But, just because she could not physically be close to someone without the risk of draining their very life force, did not make her immune to the want for an uncomplicated act of physical affection.

Without warning, he suddenly turned around to face her and was a little surprised to see her still stood frozen in the open doorway. He noted the attractive blush spread over her cheeks, inadvertently bringing out the bright green of her tired eyes almost instantly and he let the rising smirk of gratification ascent on his lips, as he finally removed the dark sunglasses he had not taken off until now.

"Y' jus' goin' t' stand dere chére, or ar' y' goin' t come in?" His rich voice bought her back to reality once more and she glanced at him quickly, before looking away again and lastly stepped into the room, pushing the deceptively heavy door behind her shut.

"Why do ya wear sunglasses?" She asked, frowning at the mixture of feelings swimming around in her gut.

"Kinda obvious ain't it?" He replied in reference to his unique eyes, noting the inept posture of her body language.

"Yeah, ah guessed thaht . . . ah jus' didn't figure you foh someone who would care" She verified her question once more, standing awkwardly across from him.

"Aft'r a while, it gets a little borin' scarin' de bébés an' old ladies" Remy laughed mirthfully at his own conclusion, before hearing the thankful click of the coffee machine that would temporarily relieve him of any more questions and he stepped away for his much needed caffeine fix.

"Y' wan' one?" He called back to her.

"Please" She affirmed quietly, once more observing as he stood with his back to her.

Beverages in hand he put a single cup of the black liquid onto the small square table top situated by the window and pulled out the wooden framed chair beside it, indicating for her take a seat.

"Alright Rogue, it's time t' talk" She heard his voice, but her eyes were fixed solely on the caffeine rich drink awaiting her, tempting her tired body with wanted energy.

"Okay" She agreed, allowing her legs to gravitate her toward the table. Once seated, she let out a long sigh before she finally began to speak, knowing that she had prolonged the secrecy of the crystals location long enough.

"This guy, Sebastian Shaw . . ." She begun.

"Sebastian Shaw?" Remy interrupted her quickly and she looked up at his oh-so casually form, leaning mid-pose against the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, are ya goin' ta let meh finish?" She admonished lightly.

"Ar' y' sure p'tite?" He ignored her, asking once again.

"Yes! Thahts whaht ah saw in Emma's thoughts. Foh some reason she didn't know about – this Shaw guy decided he wanted the crystal transferred ta Seattle. The only reason she knew about it at all, was because he had asked her ta keep it safe yeahs befoah, so he needed her ta give it back ta him" She relayed softly, the memories slipping precariously around in her mind as she spoke them aloud, making it more difficult for her to keep them in order. She closed her eyes in an effort to keep from being distracted by anything in the room.

"Dat doesn't make any sense. Why would Sebastian Shaw want t' bring de Nova Crystal here?" Remy thought out loud, trying to wrap his head around the order of events. He didn't doubt Rogue's ability in the least, she had proved to him though his own memories that her powers were working just as they should.

But what perturbed him was that of all places the Hellfire Club could have transferred the crystal to, why Seattle? Why not Boston? As far as he was aware, there was absolutely no reason for them to bring it here, no connections to the city that he knew about and as for Sebastian Shaw – well he had been absent for months, unheard of in all corners of the world.

Remy had sub contracted himself to Shaw on one occasion, a year or so before he had vanished into thin air. It had been a simple job, involving the heist of a priceless piece of artwork - no hard feat for someone in his profession. But even so, the news of his disappearance had been suspicious. He was a mutant like them, a dangerous man, powerfully connected and one of the four lords of the renowned Hellfire Club – 'The Black King', beside Emma Frosts 'White Queen'.

If it was true, that he was back – he had been obviously very well hidden and just what he had been up to during his prolonged absence, remained unexplained.

"Well ah'm not lyin' . . . theahs a Hellfire base raghte heah in Seattle" Rogue informed, making Remy look at her again, noting that her eyes were closed lightly, her gloved hands pressing the temples on either side of her face softly.

"Where?" He queried simply, watching her closely as her features twisted, trying to keep in order the thoughts that she had not so long ago assimilated.

"It's not lahke the one in New York . . . it's jus' an unduhground nightclub . . . but thahts wheah Emma took it, gave it ta Sebastian . . . ah don't know wheah in th' city it is though" She finished quietly, a little disappointed that she could not be more specific.

That was one problem with her ability – it was just memories and recent thoughts that she could intrude on and more often than not, they appeared sporadically and not normally in any particular order. The effort it took to make sense of the images pulsating through her cluttered mind, was extortionate and it tired her immensely. It had been under Professor Xavier's suggestion, after the last time her brain had freaked out – unable to cope with the overwhelming surge of psyches she had absorbed over time - that she had begun using this method to organize her thoughts and it did help to an extent.

After a minute or so, she finally opened her eyes again and a long yawn rose without invitation, causing her to suddenly feel incredibly drained.

"Y' should get some rest" Remy remarked from his stance in the kitchen area.

"Ah told ya, ah'm okay" She replied as convincingly as she could manage, though her half closed eyes told a different story.

"Chére, y' can barely keep y'r eyes open" He chortled at her vain attempt to prove otherwise, stepping away from the kitchen and opening a closed door just on the far side the counters, disappearing into the bedroom beyond.

"How do ah know thaht yoah not jus' goin' ta go off and do everythin', while ah'm out foh the count?" She shot back at him, doubting his motives instantaneously. He returned into the main room not long after, carrying what appeared to be a t-shirt and sweat pants in one hand.

"Y' don't. Guess y'r jus' goin' t' have t' trust m' on dat. Here" He responded nonchalantly, handing her the items of clothing.

She considered that for a minute. There was no alternative at this very moment really, her mind and body were utterly exhausted of energy – no amount of caffeine would awaken her senses to their usual strength. She had forgotten how tiring her powers could be and combined with not having enough sleep, she may as well have been a talking corpse.

Slowly, she stood up from her seat resignedly, clutching the borrowed clothing in one hand loosely and looked up to Remy, who had moved a few feet away from her.

"The thing is, the Gambit in mah head is tellin' meh thaht yah will . . ." Her voice was soft, but none-the less accusatory. Remy looked at her strangely for a second before responding.

"What else does de 'me' inside y' head say?" He questioned drolly, smirking uncontrollably at her.

"Ugh! Nothin' you need ta heah . . ." She sighed, unwittingly leaving that comment open for suggestion as she made her way past him, in the direction of the bedroom.

"Y'r a very sick girl Rogue" He chuckled to himself, finding amusement in his own words. She turned on him as he spoke and her eyes widened in shock, her feet stumbling just a little when she realized how close he was to her.

"Aren't you gonna . . get any rest?" She mumbled, almost incoherently as she had to stretch her head further back to look up at him. His red on black eyes simmered yearningly, smiling vaingloriously upon her.

"Nah, I got some calls t' make . . gotta work out how m' goin' t get t' monsieur Shaw . . ." His voice was low and he took a step toward her, closing the small distance between them.

He wanted to test her boundaries, see how far he could push her until she snapped. It was masochistic on his part, he knew – but still, pushing boundaries was his specialty. Besides, even if he wanted to go that far with Rogue, he knew that her skin – that innocent lily white, poisonous, toxic skin of hers would knock him out flat, before he would even be able to enjoy it's soft silkiness.

It was a sad truth really. She was the ultimate, untouchable girl, 'The forbidden fruit and part of him deep down felt a smidgen of sympathy, when he thought about it.

"We" She said ominously, feeling her heart flutter as he moved closer. But she had already decided that she would not move away. She wouldn't give into him easily this time – he knew the consequence already and deflecting him was just showing weakness on her part.

"Huh?" Remy cocked his head at her odd choice of word.

"You said 'I', instead of 'we'" She clarified, stronger this time. His smirk only broadened.

"Slip o' de tongue . . ." He let the sentence hang and moved closer yet again, narrowing the small airspace between them even more, satisfaction creeping on him as her jade orbs widened anxiously, her full lips parting ever so slightly in apprehension.

"Is this part o' the act?" She spoke softly, finding it hard to stay fully alert with those stunningly unique eyes of his, boring down upon her.

"What act?" He responded precociously, leaning toward her. God, he wanted to kiss her and it wouldn't be the first time, though technically she'd kissed him and he didn't remember it at all, which was a shame. His fingers twiddled energetically at his sides, itching to just reach out and pull her against him.

"Th' part wheah you invade personal space" Rogue breathed lightly, her breath trembling just enough for him to discern.

"Y' wan' t' find out?" He leaned closer and she could feel his breath tickle her face lightly, he was only millimeters away and she dare not move in case she inadvertently brushed against him. But, aside from that fear - she wanted him to kiss her and part of her wished that he would just do it, press his lips passionately against hers, feel the stubble on his jaw rub against her sensitive skin – even if it was only for a second, the sensation would stay with her for a lifetime.

But her nerves over took that feeling with a major hold and she felt him hover over her, moving neither closer or away and it only made her heart thump harder in her chest, butterflies bouncing like firecrackers in her stomach.

"Don't" She whispered, her voice barely audible. Her eyes closed and she wished that when she re-opened them again, he would not be there - the temptation moved, out of her reach.

"M' not afraid of you Rogue" His voice filtered into her ears like the comforting rumble of rolling thunder in the distance on a hot summers evening. She remembered the last time he had said that to her and inside it made her smile.

"Well, ya should beh" She reminded him soberly.

"Nev'r stopped me b'fore" He uttered heavily. Her heart was abruptly gripped into a vice and she swallowed nervously. Would he do it? Would he really be that stupid to close the short space between them and be at the mercy of her poisonous skin? She desperately wanted to jump away out of his reach, out of this situation. But she had promised herself that she would stand her ground, because she knew that if she gave Gambit any leeway at all, submitted to his manipulations in any way – he would just walk over her.

"Please, don't" Her voice was ragged, but determined - though really she was still entranced in the moment and was mildly startled when after a moment of further torment, he chuckled lightly and moved away from her slowly. She stared open mouthed at him as he trod back wordlessly, that incorrigible smirk still plastered smugly on his lips.

"Y' really have changed chérie. De Rogue I knew three years ago, would 'av run a mile by now" He relayed to her gently.

She wasn't at all sure how to feel about that. Yes, she had changed. She had accepted her inevitable fate long ago and with that credence, she had tried very hard not to let her mutant ability take over every single second of her life.

Finally, she looked back up at him once more, feeling more at ease with the distance and shook her head softly, the reminiscence of a sallow smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Yoah such a jerk" She rebuked sadly and then turned away and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.

* * *

**_Thankyou once again to reviewers Ondjage, ChamberlineofMusic, AshmandaLC, Starlight2twilight, Lizzieturbo, Icyss and Nyrrari._**

**_Coming soon . . . . Chapter Seven!!!_**


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